Monday 20 March 2017

Classic Films Revisited: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Rather than always reviewing new cinema and streaming releases, I have decided to revisit (or in some cases watch for the first time) old classics to discover what made them stand out as masterpieces, whether they have aged well and what is it that makes these movies hold their value many years after their initial release. The first in this series is the Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
What initially strikes me on revisiting Dr Strangelove is that it's hard to believe that this is a Stanley Kubrick film , it differs so dramatically from anything else in his repertoire. Another clear sign of it's quality is that even though this film was originally released in 1964 it is as relevant today more than ever before. Given our current global political climate, stately satire from either the past or present now largely resembles reality and this film is no exception. The lampooning of the world leaders in this movie could be taken from the CCTV footage of a G8 Summit!
Of course, the brilliance of Peter Sellers in multiple roles makes the whole thing tick but credit has to also be given to a superb supporting cast including George C. Scott and Slim Pickens who enable the wonderful script to come to life.
It's a movie that requires repeated viewing such is the large volume of comedy and it's subtly that many gags could be missed first time around.
All in all, a clever, relevant, funny and scary in equal measure movie that is well worth another look.
Bona fide classic.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟


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